columnists

Biography

Nick Lees got his start in journalism in London where he worked on Fleet Street before coming to Canada to write for the Journal. Over the years, Nick has written on a dizzying array of adventurous topics and his assignments have included running marathons, parachuting with the Airborne Regiment, travelling in a submarine, driving in demolition derbies and living in an igloo in the Arctic.

An ardent fundraiser and supporter of local charities, Nick continues to write a weekly column in the city section about community events and the city's movers and shakers.

A moving story about women and childbirth helped galvanize golfers in a charity tournament into donating $400,000 to fight poverty in Asia and Africa. Guest speaker Azin Soltani explained what happened when she congratulated a woman who had just given birth in a remote region of Mozambique.

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lt is one of the most haunting photos in the Edmonton Journal archives: a picture of Thomas Svekla, dressed in a green camouflage jacket and tinted round sunglasses, smiling tauntingly at the camera, his finger held to his lips. “Shhhh,” he seems to be saying. “I’ve got a secret.”